Tails Takes Flight
by TeirusuOtaku
Summary: After Tails' relationship with Amy goes awry, he feels he won't amount to anything in the world, and jumps out a window. When he is saved, can his rescuer help him to love again? Contains Yaoi
1. Cheater, Cheater

TeirusuOtaku: Hey dudes! It's my first time back ever since...well, a long time! You ever change your email and forget your password? Well, that happened to me. You might have known me as VidBuster120, author of The 8th Emerald? Yeah. Don't bother reading that, because back then I was new to the place and the chapter entering got all screwed up so you won't get anything at all (unless you're good at solving jigsaw puzzles or something). So yeah, I better get on with this before I start rambling, because I tend to do that sometimes.

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Tails Takes Flight

Disclaimer: Dude, I so totally don't own the Sonic the Hedgehog francise! Curses.

Chapter One: Cheater, Cheater

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Tails walked down the street merrily, whistling a tune with his hands behind his head. He has just gone grocery shopping, and the plastic bag full of food and goodies was dangling from his shoulder, locked loosely in place by his raised arm. "What a great day. Everything went smoothly, just as I had planned it." Stopping for a second and setting down the bag, he took out a sheet of paper from one of his gloves, and a pen held to his wrist by the black wristband of his other glove. "Let's see...grocery shopping. Check," the fox said, crossing through the words on the list. "That takes care of my to-do list. Sonic should have the place clean by now." Picking up the bag again, he rushed home, propelled by his twin tails for extra speed.

Arriving in front of the apartment complex they lived in along with Knuckles (whenever Knuckles actually had time to come to the city), Tails scanned a nearby bush for the spare key, which he found quickly and unlocked the door. Tossing the key back in the bushes, he slowly opened the door and cried, "I'm home you guys!" After some silence, he entered the apartment and closed the door behind him, his ears twitching slightly, trying to pick up any sound. The fox set down the bag, and crossed his arms in annoyance. "I know you're here. I was only gone for five minutes." Straining, he finally picked up some rustling, and a faint whisper. "Aha!"

Rushing to the source, he found himself running through a hallway and bursting through a door. "Aren't you guy too old for hide and...seek?" His last word came out as sort of a squeak, as he took in a moment to think about what he was seeing. Sonic was laying in his bed, underneath a naked Amy, whose face was flushed a deep red. Judging from the smell of sweat and a hint of musk, Tails could already tell what's been going on, which normally wouldn't have surprised him. The thing is, Amy is his girlfriend. They've been going steady for almost a month now, with no obvious problems in their relationship. And then this happens. Anger began to boil in his veins, his face turning a crimson red color, though it still displayed a calm disposition. The hedgehogs stared at him for a moment before Sonic began to speak.

"T-Tails! You're...um...you're home early, little buddy! I thought you went shop--" his was interrupted by Tails' calm, yet cold voice.

"GET...OUT." His fists clenched tightly as he spoke with his eyes closed. Normally, he would've have said anything, but he did technically own the apartment, and therefore had authority over who resided there. Sonic spoke again, trying to coax the fox to calm down.

"Listen Tails, it's not what it looks like I swear--" Again, he was interrupted, but this time by Amy.

"Sonic..." She began, looking into his eyes, "Let's...just go." She got off him, a faint, moist popping sound occuring as she did so, making Tails wince. She gathered her clothes and dressed silently, the faint rustle of her clothes the only sound in the room. As she put on her shoes, Sonic rolled off Tails' bed, putting on his gloves and shoes, his attention shifting to Tails for a moment. Seeing his best friend like that, flustered, angry, and yet calm at the same time sent a sort of chill down his back. As Tails opened his eyes, Sonic quickly turned back to his shoes, buckling them. The two finally finished, and Sonic walked past Tails, recieving a glare from the fox as he did so. Amy, however, stopped in front of Tails, her eyes staring into his. "Tails...I--"

"Save it. Just...just leave. Please," he added sternly.

"I'm sorry Tails, I really am," she said, her voice cracking as the remorse hit her like a speeding car. She sighed and left the room.

As Tails heard the front door click, he flopped on his bed, only to bounce off it a nanosecond later, as if repelled by an invisible force. He exaled sharply through his nose, causing a sort of sneezing sound as he tried to clear it of the strong scent of musk lingering in the bed, in the area where Sonic had been. The smell of it in the air had intensified since Sonic's body was not on the bed to block it from rising. Sniffing the air curisously, he actually found it to be a pleasant aroma when not too much of it was taken in. He shook his head, clearing his senses of the hypnotizing scent and opened all the windows halfway, turning on the ceiling fan to circulate some fresh air into the room.

Sitting on the bed and trying to ignore the scent of Sonic still heavy on the sheets, Tails thrust his face into his hands and sobbed lightly. _How could this happen?_ He thought to himself. _Everything was going so perfectly...I suppose it had to end somewhere..._He looked out the window, down to the street three stories below him. _I wonder if I'm high enough..._Opening the window all the way, he stood on the windowsill, holding his tails. _Maybe I just wasn't good enough for her...I wonder if I'm good enough for anyone. I suppose it won't matter much if I don't exist...but maybe this is going too far. It's too late now, I've made up my mind. Goodbye everyone. I hope you all live happily after I'm gone. _With that, he stepped off the sill, gripping his tails tightly to ensure he won't use them to fly by reflex. He closed his eyes and waited for contact with the pavement.

It never came.

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TeirusuOtaku: How do you like it so far? It'll get better, I assure you. So come on, review people! I'm sure you want to see more. This is Tei-kun, signing out.

P.S.: If you want to get a hold of me, contact me if you want at BlueKoinuataoldotcom. You know, just replace the at and dot with the symbols. It's to keep out robots and such. Just remember, plug it in, plug it in!

"Plug it in, Plug it in" is copyright of...whatever company making the air freshener stuff, and I don't own it. So...yeah.


	2. To the Floating Island

TeirusuOtaku: Hey people! It's me again, and I'm back with the second chapter of the story! Naturally. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the cliffhanger I provided! If you couldn't tell that was a cliffhanger then either you need help, or I do.

_Italics represent thinking._

Asterisks represent a long passage of time.

Now then, I'm sure your dying to know what happened, so I won't bore you with my gabbing any longer. ...Gab. Okay, I'm done now, seriously.

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Tails Takes Flight

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here except the story plot.

But even that may have been done already, so I guess I don't own it either.

Chapter Two: To the Floating Island

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Looking left to right nonchalantly, Knuckles crossed the street. The crimson echidna didn't particularly care what traffic was like, he could simply tap a car to stop it in its tracks. Of course, that was too braggy; he could never accomplish such a feat. He would have to punch the car to actually stop it, and that would endanger the person or people inside. So instead of bothering to waste energy unnecessarily punching a car, he waits and crosses at the right time.

These thoughts seem to randomly cross the Guardian's mind as he strolled down the street carelessly, wondering if the Master Emerald would be safe with Rouge guarding it. Sure, she's after jewels, but she wouldn't dare try to sink an entire civilization, would she? Especially his. She knew his power.

As he pondered, an alarmlingly loud gasp tore him from his thoughts. He opened eyes he didn't even know he closed, and looked up, following the gazes of the crowd in front of him. "What the--!" His amethyst eyes widened as he watched the familiar twin-tailed fox step out his bedroom window and plummet down, through the air, to what would inevitably be his demise. "Aw, jeez!"

Thinking quickly, Knuckles scaled a nearby building, leaping off after calculating his projectory. The crowd watched as everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Knuckles soared almost gracefully through the air, his long quills flowing behind him, providing a bit of needed air resistance. Narrowing his eyes and focusing on Tails, he kept gliding. The echidna was right under him now, he made a grab for the fox...

And missed.

Growling deeply, Knuckles stopped abruptly, falling for a bit, then caught himself on another air current. Turning around and glinding toward Tails again, he outstretched his arms again, his palms face up this time. As he passed under again, the fox fell right into his arms, knocking him out of the sky. Knuckles was in practically perfect condition, considering he caught Tails only three feet from the ground.

Tails on the other hand, was a mess. His fur was wild from the fall, and nearly dry tears stained his face. Little patches of dirt sullied his fur, giving him the appearance of a hobo.

Knuckles stood. "Alright, alright, nothin' to see here. Go on, get outta here!" He practically barked. The crowd scattered and the people went about their business. "Tails...wake up..." He said softly, nudging the fox's cheek lightly with a free fist.

Tails stirred, coughing a little. Not much movement after that. "Come on, wake up," the Guardian continued. This time he was rewarded with a smile, which he found strange. Then Tails spoke.

"Your voice...It's...soothing..." _Well that was weird. _Knuckles thought._ I know I have a pleasing baritone, but why would Tails notice something like that? Or even bring it up for that matter. Oh well, I guess if he finds it soothing, he should hear more of it. Maybe it'll relaxing him enough so that he can sleep. I don't know what happened, but it must have been really horrible to make someone like Tails jump out a window._

"You think so, huh?" the scarlet echidna chuckled. "I didn't know you liked it so much. Are you sure you aren't delirious?" Knuckles asked, half-jokingly, half-seriously. If he was, he needed help, and if he wasn't, then...he'll need sleep. The Guardian carried Tails upstairs, opening the door upon finding it unlocked. Walking into Tails' room, he got hit smack in the face with Sonic's scent. "Ugh, how pungent. Though it kinda smells like lilacs. I hate lilacs..." he added, speaking to himself. Tails responded anyway, waking up just enough to be able to speak properly.

"Lilacs are my favorite flowers. Beside carnations. What's your favorite flower, Knuckles?...Knuckles!" His eyes snapped open, and he struggled violently in surprise. Knuckles was so surprised, he actually dropped the poor kitsune. "Ow!" the fox cried upon landing.

"Hm. That's a funny way to greet someone who just saved your life." Knuckles said, crossing his arms, his amethyst eyes staring into the aquamarine below him.

Tails shivered as he felt Knuckles' gaze. He felt as if the echidna was staring straight into him, into his mind, into his soul. It creeped him out so much. Knuckles tends to do that a lot. Blinking disbelievingly and brushing his bangs from his eyes, he echoed Knuckles. "You...saved my life?" The Guardian nodded. "Why would you do something like that?"

Knuckles' unwavering gaze faltered a bit, and he frowned. _What does he mean by that? Surely he isn't serious. I just saved his life! How could he not thank me! I suppose he _wanted_ to die, and I got in the way of that, but still, he could at least be grateful!_ "..." Despite all the thoughts swirling in his head, he couldn't think of a response.

"Well...Thanks." Tails stood up, hugging the echinda and catching him off guard. "That was probably the biggest mistake I've ever made. I don't know how to thank you, Knuckles." the fox's hug tightened, and his eyes shut tightly as he started to cry.

Knuckles, on the other hand, was completely surprised by the kitsune's sudden change of mood. Thinking it rude not to return the hug, he did so. "Um...you're welcome." Pulling back and patting Tails on the head, he smiled. "Don't do anything like that anymore, alright?" He tilted his head. "What happened anyway?" Tails sobs stopped as his eyes widened, then closed. "I don't wanna talk about it..." he replied, shaking his head.

"Oh...that bad huh? Well, listen. You seem real down and all, so uh...why don't you come with me to the island?" Knuckles seemed to tense as he asked the question. Tails' jaw dropped slightly in disbelief.

"The Floating Island? That island? YOUR island!" Tails rapidfired the questions, hold his head to try to think straight. "But that's your island! The sacred island of the echidna tribe! I can't set foot on there!"

"You've been before."

"But that was because I had to! I can't just...go there!" Tails nearly tripped over his feet.

"If I can let Rouge onto the island, surely I can allow you, too." Knuckles' voice was calm, calmer than usual in fact. It creeped Tails out even more so than his gaze.

_How can he just stand there, talking about Rouge on the island so calmly! She could steal the Master Emerald! Well...she wouldn't do that. She knows his power. _Timidly, Tails finally agreed to go to the island. "Fine...I guess I can go...but only if you don't have a problem with it."

Knuckles smiled. "Okay. We're leaving tomorrow. Pack anything you want to take with you." He turned to leave the room, but was stopped suddenly by Tails.

"What do you mean, 'pack'?" He asked with trembling legs. HE didn't know why, but he was nervous. Nervous of something. But he couldn't place what.

"You don't want to stay here, where constant reminders of things that have happened will haunt you forever, do you? At least, not for a while anyway. You're still upset, I can tell," the Guardian replied simply, not bothering to turn back around to face Tails.

"But..." he sighed, knowing the echidna would reason him into going anyway. "Okay. I guess I can take--"

"But nothing mechanical. After all, it IS a place of nature."

The fox's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "What! But, but, but," he stammered, not being able to find the right words. "Machines are practically my life!"

Knuckles sighed, facing Tails and shaking his head. "You really do need to stop depending on your machines. That's why people think you're weak. That's why people think of you as Sonic's sidekick. Because they haven't seen what you can actually do without your machines." He smirked toothily, a fang glinting in the sunlight.

"Hey! That's not true!" The kitsune shouted, the anger that had ebbed away recently coming to full boil again. "I can fly, and use Tail Spin and...fly..." Tails' voice trailed off as he realized Knuckles was right. _Wow...I'm more useless than I thought..._

"Don't worry. I can train you. I am the strongest guy around, you know," Knuckles offered, his pride getting the best of him.

"No, that's okay. You've already done enough for me, and I don't want to impose..." The fox quickly bent down and began gathering things he thought were necessary, trying not to look directly at Knuckles.

"If you insist. Remember, we leave tomorrow, bright and early," he reminded Tails, walking out of the room. "I'll be asleep in my room if you need me," he added.

Tails placed everything he wanted to take (a book, a notebook, a pencil, and another book) onto a polka-dot sheet and tied it to a fishing rod. _Who knows,_ he thought,_ I might need to catch something._

As he made his way toward his bed, Tails was bombarded with Sonic's scent again. "It's still there. Well, I don't want to sleep on it--and I don't know anyone besides Amy who would--so I'll just sleep on the couch. It's comfortable, I suppose. Maybe I can do laundry in the morning, before Knuckles gets up."

Making his way to the living room with a blanket, he looked out the window. "Hm. It's evening. I guess I can get some reading in before I go to bed." Picking a random book from the messy room floor, he opened it, immediately blushing and tossing the book away. "O-one's of S-Sonic's books, I-I'm sure..." He picked up another. "Hey, this one's about fighting. It HAS to belong to Knuckles."

His eyes darted left, then right. "I suppose he won't mind me reading his books..." he said, opening the cover. After half an hour of reading, Tails was fast asleep, the book lying cover-up on his chest.

Later that night, Knuckles woke up feeling hungry. He looked at the clock. "Midnight. Great." Getting out of bed and walking down the hall, only the living room separated him from the kitchen. The messy, messy, jungle-like living room. This, of course, was no problem for Knuckles; the island had loads of forests and jungles that he was used to. He began walking through the various items on the floor.

As he made it halfway through the room, he heard a light snore, and immediately adopted a fighting stance, growling. Seeing no one there but Tails on the couch, he calmed down and continued walking. After a few seconds, he quickly turned to face Tails, doing a double-take. "Why is he...oh, his bed. He probably didn't want to sleep in Sonic's either, who knows what that hedgehog's been doing in there." Shrugging it off, he grabbed a hot dog from the fridge and stuck it into the microwave.

He looked at the buttons. "How does this thing work again? I hate machines..." Pressing the '2' button three times, and pressing 'START', he crossed his arms and waited as the microwave heated up the hot dog. Another snore. The Guardian looked back to Tails, watching him sleep for no particular reason. His eyes widened as he saw one of his books laying on the fox's chest. "That's one of MY books!"

It was at the moment the hot dog exploded, shocking the fox awake and scaring the heck out of Knuckles. "Don't shoot me!" Tails cried. "Oh. It was just the microwave." Getting off the couch, apparently not noticing Knuckles at all, he opened the microwave. "Eww...I suppose I'll have to clean that up. I don't know who'd be stupid enough to put a hot dog in the microwave without a bun, or a plate, or--" he felt a sharp pain on the top of his head, "YOW!" He turned to face a growling Knuckles.

"Oh! Knuckles! I didn't know--hey look at this mess, I better clean it up!" He spoke rapidly, immediately turning around to clean up the mess.

"It was my first time, okay?" The echidna said through clenched teeth. He calmed down as he saw the bump on Tails' head. "Sorry about that...by the way..."

"No, no, it's okay. If it was your first time using a microwave--"

"Not that. Sorry about hitting you."

"Oh, that's okay. No harm done," Tails lied, feeling the pulsing bump. He finished cleaning the microwave. It wasn't completely clean, but it was clean enough. "Well then, I'm going back to bed. If you're hungry, I suggest a sandwich," he joked.

As he watched Tails set the book on a table and climb onto the couch, Knuckles suddenly felt sorry for the fox. _After what he's been through, he shouldn't have to sleep on the couch. _"Go sleep on my bed, Tails," he meant to suggest it, but it came out more commanding. "I'll sleep on the couch."

"I'm fine, really," the kitsune replied as he place the covers over himself.

"No, really, you can sleep on my bed," Knuckles tried again, walking over to the couch. "I'll sleep in here."

"I'd hate to take your bed, I'll just sleep here." Tails insisted, unintentionally thinning Knuckles' patience.

"Fine, if it'll make you feel better, I'll sleep on half of the bed, and you sleep on the other half." _Did I really just say that?_

_Did he really just say that?_ Tails couldn't respond as he took a moment to comtemplate the situation. Finally, he nodded. "Okay. I guess that's fine." He climbed off the couch, grabbing Knuckles' book and handing it to him. "Here...I was reading this. I hope you don't mind. It was really good." He folded the blanket and walked to the hall closet, storing it there and continuing down the hall to Knuckles' room.

The Guardian looked from the book, to the hall, to the book again and placed it back on the table, following the fox. Upon entering the room, he found Tails sound asleep already, on half of the bed. Smiling and shaking his head, Knuckles made his way to his half of the bed. He climbed in, covering himself, and closed his eyes. Then he heard rustling and felt something brush his chest, and opened an eye. Tails had turned in his sleep, and his hand had landed on the echidna's chest.

Knuckles tried to nudge it off lightly, as to not awaken Tails, but to no avail. Giving up, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Tails woke up the next morning to find that he was practically hugging Knuckles, and his face was inches away from the echidna's. Blushing deeply, quickly jumped out of bed, causing Knuckles to wake up.

Yawning and stretching, Knuckles got out of bed and adopted a fighting stance, punching the air.

"...What are you doing? Tails asked, still blushing.

Knuckled replied groggily, still recovering from sleep. "My...morning exercises..." he said, grunting as he continued to punch the air.

Tails just watched him, becoming hypnotized by the way Knuckles moved. Blushing deeper, Tails shook his head and focused on getting ready to leave.

After breakfast, face-washing, and teeth-brushing, Tails and Knuckles took to the sky. "So how long is this going to be?" Tails asked, trying his hardest to keep up with Knuckles.

"Oh, about five miles." The echidna replied.

"What! Five miles!"

Tails' fatigue began to grow after 2 long miles. He slowed down, falling slowly. "Knuckles, I can't make it..." he panted, his face flushed a light red through his fur.

"Sure you can," Knuckles said, looking back at the fox. "...Maybe you can't," he added after seeing Tails' condition. Turning around, he took the fox into his arms and continued toward the island. "Try to get some rest. We should be there soon."

Tails nodded, and for extra support he wrapped his arms around Knuckles loosely, closing his eyes and falling asleep quickly.

Knuckles looked down at the sleeping kitsune, smiling. _He's so cute when he's sleeping...Wait, what am I thinking! Did I just say 'cute'! My hunger's getting to me...yeah, that's it. The hunger. I'm sure of it. It's making me delirious._

Thoughts still sqirling around in his head, Knuckles finally landed on the shoreline of the island. Wait...shoreline?

"No..." Knuckles said softly, dashing through the jungle ahead of him. As the jungle opened to a clearing, an ancient shrine became visible. Knuckles dropped Tails in disbelief, waking him up.

"You're going to have to stop doing that..." Tails said, standing up and rubbing the side of his thigh. He followed Knuckles' bewildered gaze and his eyes widened slightly. The pair cried in perfect unison:

"The Master Emerald is GONE!"

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TeirusuOtaku: Wow, betcha didn't see that coming! Sorry if anyone was OOC...you can complain if you want, but I won't listen. You're opinion is valued. ...If it's a good opinion. Bad opinions will result in...well, bad opinions. Until next time, this is TeirusuOtaku, signing out...off...whatever.


	3. Enter Rouge

TeirusuOtaku: Hey, so dija like my second chapter? Well, even if you didn't, I'm contiuing the story! Thanks to all of the people who reviewed! Here's a shoutout to you all! ...Hi! lol. Well, I'll just go ahead and start with the story now, since that's the reason you're here. You couldn't possibly care about my ramblings. sniffle lol jk.

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Tails Takes Flight

Disclaimer: I don't own the Sonic franchise unfortunately.

Chapter Three: Enter Rouge

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"The Master Emerald is GONE!"

Tails flew up to look at the shoreline. It seemed to be rising. "Knuckles, the island is sinking into the water! If we don't find the Master Emerald soon, this'll become the next Atlantis!" He called.

Knuckles' jaw dropped, as he sank to the ground, falling onto his knees. "No...I knew I shouldn't have trusted her..."

"Who?" The fox asked as he landed.

"Rouge..."

"What! What on earth made you think you could trust Rouge to guard one of the most sacred jewels ever!" He walked toward Knuckles and noticed him shivering. _What the...is he...?_

Knuckles heard Tails approaching, and thrust an arm back. "Don't come any closer..." He said, his voice breaking.

_He is...he's crying...I've never seen him cry before...I thought he couldn't even do so. He just seemed so tough...I guess letting something like this, where thousands of people could perish because of you, could cause someone to cry..._Tails still advanced toward the sobbing echidna, ignoring the arm he had thrown out in an attempt to stop him. Reaching Knuckles, he kneeled down next to him, his eyes shifting awkwardly. He shakily reached out an arm and patted Knuckles' back. "Uh...there, there. Everything will...uh...be okay," he managed to say. Then a twitch of movement caught his eye, and he looked up.

There, on top on the shrine, bruised and beaten, was Rouge the Bat, in horrible condition. Her ivory fur was blotted with dried blood, her outfit was torn in several places, and her designer (at least she claims it to be) make-up was horribly streaked. She looked like she had been crying.

"Rouge!" Tails yelled, running to the swaying bat and catching her as she fell, though being small, he struggled to hold her up. "What happened to you!" _Well, I guess we can rule out the possibility of Rouge stealing the emerald..._

"I--" She began, but was cut off but Knuckles charging at her, grabbing her and shaking her silly.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE EMERALD!" he cried, his face still soaked with tears and his eyes violently glinting. His bangs were bared, and shone in the sunlight, and his grip dug into Rouge, causing her to yelp in pain.

"I didn't do anything, I swear!" she cried between sobs. "Someone came and...and stole it!"

"A likely story! I know you tried to steal it before, and that you'd do it again! You did, didn't you!"

"I didn't! I didn't steal it! I swear on my life!"

"Think about it, Knuckles. The only way she could have gotten in this condition was if she had been fighting. She was obviously trying to protect the emerald," the fox tried to reason.

"Or maybe she was fighting someone for it and lost!" He growled viciously, his eyes lit with a raging fire.

"No, no, that's not it at ALL! Some guy in black came and--and took the thing! When I tried to beat him away from it, he--he--" she broke into tears all over again.

Knuckles calmed down, setting the bat down so that she stood shakily, her face in her hands. He sighed and closed his eyes, walking away from us, and up the stairs of the shrine. He stood at the altar and didn't say a word.

"What did he do to you, Rouge?" Tails asked.

She just muttered something that was barely audible.

"What?"

Again, she muttered.

"Could you speak a bit lou--"

"I SAID HE RAPED ME!" She suddenly shrieked, causing Tails to jump and Knuckles' eyes to snap open, and a few birds to scatter. She continued to cry.

"We've got to find out who this guy is...and why he'd do such a thing," Tails said, determined.

Just then, there was a rustle in the leaves of a nearby tree and something black with a hint of red dropped out from it. Knuckles turned around non-chalantly, descending from the stairs as the newcomer spoke. "Hello there, all," he greeted them, nodding and smirking. "I trust you remember me?"

Rouge's and Tails' eyes widened. "Shadow!"

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TeirusuOtaku: Hey! I'm just bombarding you with chapters, aren't I? I know his one seems kinda rushed, and probably extremely short compared to the last one, but I felt I needed to compensate for the wait you all had to...um...wait. And so, Chapter 3 was born. I promise, Chapter 4 will be longer. But mostly because everyone seems to love Shadow. lol. Well, that's all, this is Tei-kun, signing out.

Oh, wait! I almost forgot! It's the dawn of Audience Participation! Just like in the (no longer being continued on account of lost story, lol) 8th Emerald story, you'll get to participate in the stroy by answer what you think will happen next! And don't think this is just a clever disguise to get an idea on what to write next; I've got it all planned out already. This is just to add a bit of fun to the reading. Here's what you do:

1)Read the chapter.

2)Read the question.

3)Submit a review showing your opinion on the chapter and the answer to what you think will happen next, according to it's letter (for example, if you think it's D., then put "I think it's D.!" or something somewhere in your review).

And that's it! So here we go.

Who do you think stole the Master Emerald?

A. Rouge

B. Shadow

C. Someone who hasn't shown up yet

Remember to put your answer somewhere in your review! This is Tei-kun, signing out.


	4. Finally, A Lead!

TeirusuOtaku: Hey there y'all! What's up? Wasn't the conclusion of the last chapter just...conclusion-y? Yeah. So with out further talking (mostly because I can't think of anything to say), here's the fourth chappie! Oh, and the answer to the last audience participation question is C. Someone who hasn't shown up yet. Not Rouge, not Shadow. Good guesses, though, people!

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Tails Takes Flight

Dislclaimer: I don't own Sonic yadda yadda yadda.

Chapter Four: Finally, A Lead!

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Knuckles' eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the hedgehog. He knew Shadow was present; he gave off a sort of energy similar to that of the Chaos and Master Emeralds, which Knuckles picked up a little after he and Tails arrived. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought...I thought you were dead, Shadow," Rouge said softly.

"How could you have survived that fall from Arc? It was from space!" Tails suddenly burst out, completely fascinated by the fact that Shadow lived and had immidiately started studying the hedgehog for any scars or burns, or anything that he night have found interesting.

This seemed to unnerve Shadow slightly, but he let the fox continue anyway. "I came here because I thought I could find you, Guardian. I came to warn you that someone was going to steal the Master Emerald. By the time I got here, though, you had gone. I saw the thief a bit after I arrived, but I only caught a glimpse of him before he used Chaos Control to get away. He was carrying something green, which I assume to be the Master Emerald." By this time, Tails was poking Shadow spines, seeing if they had any fractures. "Stop that."

"Oh!" The fox backed away a little, shuffling his feet, "Sorry."

"What did he look like?" Knuckles asked, suddenly interested in what shadow had to say.

"Well, I only caught a glimpse of him...but it surprised me that he looked an awful lot like the little one here." He gestured to Tails.

"What!" Knuckles, Rouge, and the loudest of all, Tails cried in unison.

"That's impossible. I was at my apartment until this afternoon. I couldn't possibly have taken it!" Tails said, a little hurt that he could have possibly been a suspect.

Shadow's eyebrow arched, and his mouth pulled up into a smirk, his sharp teeth almost glowing in comparison to his dark fur. "I wasn't implying that you were the thief."

Tails kicked the ground and muttered, "Not directly."

"Just tell us all you know," Knuckles said impatiently.

"Well, he was a little far away, so he looked silhouetted--"

"His fur was black-ish," Rouge interrupted. "And now that I think about it, he did look like Tails..." she said, fixing her make-up. It seemed she was starting to regain her composure. It took a relatively short time, seeing as she was raped recently, but nonetheless, she was recovering. "Except he had fangs like a vampire. Oh, and he wore spike-studded bracelets."

"That doesn't sound at all like me. In fact, it sounds completely opposite."

"Well, whoever this guy is, we've gotta find him." Knuckles said. "The island is sinking with every passing hour."

"Which way is it from here?" Tails asked, and Shadow pointed northeast.

"That way. Approximately...10 miles, I'd estimate. But we don't have to worry about that, since I can just get you there with Chaos Control. In the meantime, we should rest." The hedgehog said, re-crossing his arms.

"What!" Knuckles bellowed. "We can't possibly--"

"We should rest," Shadow repeated sternly, glaring at the echidna.

The Guardian sighed. "Fine."

Later that night, the four had started a campfire, and were now laying around it on their backs, gazing at the stars.

"It makes you feel so small, doesn't it?" Rouge asked, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?" Tails inquired, turning his head to face the bat.

"The sky. It's so big and vast...people go up into space everyday, and yet they can't seem to explore all of it. They hardly explore near the boundaries of our galaxy. Just think what could be beyond the Milky Way..."

"Wow, I never thought about it that way. It does seem like we're small, though, if you think about it like that..." Tails said, sighing and closing his eyes. That was the last of any conversation as everyone drifted off to sleep.

Even later that night, Knuckles woke up again, feeling the need to go out for a walk. He looked into the sky. Judging by the moon's position, it was somewhere around midnight. "I've got to stop waking up at midnight...maybe it's an eternal clock." He set about stoking the fire a bit to keep everyone warm, and then he turned to leave, only to be stopped by a small, groggy voice.

"Where ya goin'?"

It was Tails. He sat up, yawning and stretching, before standing and walking over to Knuckles. "Can I come?"

Knuckles thought for a bit, and nodded slightly. "I don't see why not. I'm just going for a little stroll. Maybe we can find some food together for breakfast in the morning." Tails nodded and yawned again, and the pair set off into the wilderness.

"So what's it like living here?" Tails said, picking some berries from a nearby bush.

"Pretty peaceful. Nothing bad ever seems to happen. Well, until now. And the countless times we've had to come back here on a search for the Chaos Emeralds. But other than that, it's real relaxing." Knuckles said, stopping down to pick some mushrooms.

"That's nice...it seems a lot better than the city, that's for sure."

"Yeah, it is. I like it a lot better here than I do there. You should come visit some time."

"Really? You mean it?"

"Yeah...I'd like that." Knuckles said, smiling and turning around.

"Okay, I'll come every other weekend. I could use a change of scen--" he turned around, bumping into Knuckles and knocking them over, both of them dropping their food. "Oh, I'm sorry, I--" he gasped as he realized he had landed on top of Knuckles. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, their blushes growing redder and their faces moving closer...

"What are you doing?"

Tails and Knuckles immediately jumped up, picking up their spilled food. "N-nothing...we were just--uh..." They said at the same time, their blushes deepening.

"Uh-huh." Shadow stepped from out of the bushes, bending down to pick up a berry, and looked at it curiously. Then, making sure Tails was watching, he popped it in his mouth slowly and suggestively, chewing it just as slow.

Tails just stared at him, his mouth agape and his eyes wide. When he noticed Shadow staring back, he quickly went back to work re-gathering his food. _What's he up to...?_

Shadow just stood up and smirked. _Just as I thought, he...how do people express it nowadays...'swings that way', I believe is what it is. Or maybe he 'swings both ways', seeing as he had a recent breakup with Amy, according to what he told us earlier. I'll have fun toying with him...Of course, I don't like him like that, I just like confusing people until they go insane. Of course, it may raise questions as to _my_ preferences, but I know who I like--_his mind drifted to a certain bat for a second--_so it won't phase me._ His smirk was so toothy, Knuckles and Tails just stared at him awkwardly.

"Are you...feelin' okay?" Knuckles said, holding a grass-woven basket of mushrooms, berries, and nuts.

Shadow snapped out of his thoughts and replied calmly. "Oh, nothing, I was just thinking is all. Let's head back. Rouge may wake up and worry." He turned around and headed toward the campsite, but not before shooting a smug sort of look to Tails.

_Weird..._The fox thought, following Knuckles back to the campsite.

The next morning, everyone ate a hardy meal of the food gathered the previous night, and took a bath (at different times, of course) in the nearby lake. Feeling refreshed and regenerated, the four set off to Mushroom Hill.

"So why are we here again?" Rouge said, looking around the place with disdain. "It's too natural. Even more so than the Floating Island."

"Yeah. We're here because if he's the complete opposite of me, then he'll be in the most natural place he can think of, whereas I'd be in the most mechanical place I can think of; my workshop." Tails said matter-of-factly.

"Makes sense," Knuckles said, catching a glimpse of movement in the distance. "Wait--what is that!" The Guardian dashed through the forest, immediately pursued by the other three. Shadow was beside him, Tails was behind them, and Rouge was beside Tails.

"Wait!" Knuckles cried, and surprisely, the figure stopped. It had twin tails, and bangs, just like Tails. "It's the thief!" The echidna yelled, pouncing on the creature. It let out a high squeal.

"Eeeeek! I'm being attacked for no reason!" The creature struggled, pushing Knuckles of it.

"What the--" Knuckles said, standing up. It was a girl. She looked like Tails, and sounded a little like Tails, but she had no black fur. She looked at the echidna, then to the hedgehog, to the bat, and her eyes fell on Tails. Her eyes widened as she stood up. She just stared at Tails, walking up to him unblinkingly and gazing into his eyes.

"...Brother?"

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TeirusuOtaku: Dun dun dun! Who is this mysterious newcomer? Why did she call Tails her brother? Why does chicken taste so good with hot sauce! Okay, I guess that wasn't really necessary...Oh well. Anyway, it's time for the APQotC! What's that, you ask? Why it's only the Audience Participation Question of the Chapter! This one's an opinion question.

Who do you think is the burglar?

Anyone in the Sonic franchise (Including the comics) can be an answer to the question. I've already got it down. Do you think you know who it is? Well guess! But remember to review, too. This is Tei-kun, signing out.


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